Monday, October 26, 2009

Bacon Cooking Tips• If the packaged sliced bacon is cold from the refrigerator, slowly slide the dull edge of a butter knife along the length between the strips, gently rocking to separate slices. Plan ahead and take the bacon out of the refrigerator thirty minutes before cooking. The slices should separate easily. • When frying bacon, it's important to keep a close eye on it and turn it often. It can burn in the blink of an eye. Older bacon will cook and burn almost twice as quickly as fresh bacon. • If you prefer very crispy bacon, choose thinner slices to fry up. Pour or baste off the fat as it accumulates in the pan. Use medium to medium-low heat. Cook slowly, turning often, to render out the most fat and help reduce shrinkage. Pricking with a fork will help alleviate any curling problems. Drain breakfast bacon on paper towels. • The fat rendered from the cooked bacon is highly-prized as a cooking oil for its flavor. After cooking the bacon, cool the rendered oil to room temperature and then pour through a fine sieve into a glass container. Cover and store in the refrigerator or freezer for future use. If you do not need the rendered fat, let it cool to room temperature, pour into a disposable metal or glass container, seal, tie up in a plastic bag, and toss into the trash. It's not wise to pour it down the drain, because it will coagulate and clog up the drain. • There are fancy microwave bacon cookers on the market which work well, but they are not necessary. Place a microwave-safe paper towel in a micro dish large enough to fit a single layer of bacon slices (4 to 6 slices). Cover with another paper towel. Six slices should take about 4 to 5 minutes on high, depending on the wattage of your microwave and the thickness of the bacon. Start checking after the first two minutes, and continue cooking at one minute intervals until you can judge the cooking time for the way you like it. Consult your microwave manual for more specific times. A rotating base in the microwave is highly recommended for even cooking, and most come with one built in these days. Remember that foods continue to cook even after the timer goes off in a microwave, so let it rest a few minutes before you dive in to let it crisp up and avoid burns. Curly bacon never bothers me, but this method reduces curling of the bacon. •

Bacon can also be easily baked in the oven, resulting in amazingly flat slices. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack inside a baking sheet. Lay out slices and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on desired doneness level.

Voila! Crispy bacon with no curls. You can also use your broiler, but I don't recommend it. First of all, the splatters not only make a royal mess, but also cause flares. Secondly, it requires much more attention. Stick with frying, microwaving or baking. • How can you reduce splattering problems? Part of the problem arises from today's quick salt-brining method (known as pickle-curing) used by producers. The liquid naturally soaks into the meat, and you know what happens when liquid hits hot oil -- snap, crackle, pop! Be sure the bacon slices are cold from the refrigerator and start with a cold pan. Use medium to medium-low heat and take your time cooking the slices, turning often. It's preferable to thaw frozen bacon in the refrigerator to reduce moisture, but even then some of the moisture may naturally seep out. Towel off the slices before cooking to avoid excess splattering. • If you must watch your fat intake, lean smoked ham or prosciutto can be substituted in many recipes where the rendered bacon fat is not needed. Turkey, chicken and vegetarian bacon products are also available. • Most slab bacon is sold with the rind attached. Remove the rind before using. Render the fat from the rind by frying and you have cracklings, a favorite Southern snack.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one round cake pan.Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix a few at a time. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using nuts and raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for a bit, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder and oregano. Spread this mixture into a 9-inch glass pie pan. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the cream cheese mixture. Arrange the pepperoni pieces, green bell pepper and onion over the sauce.Bake for 10 minutes.When the dish is removed from the oven, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the dish.Return the pie pan to the oven and bake until the mozzarella cheese has melted.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrot, raisins, nuts, coconut, and apple.In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir egg mixture into the carrot/flour mixture, just until moistened. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The organization accepts new or nearly new women's suits (pants and skirts), blouses, shoes, and accessories, including handbags and jewelry. All donations should be appropriate to wear to work, as well as clean, stylish and in good condition.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Saturday, August 8, 2009

If you don't want to dirty a pan, but a recipe calls for cooked onions, simply pop them in the microwave on high for one and a half minutes, stir, and then cook longer if needed. May need to drain before adding them to your recipe depending on how juicy the onion was and how many onions you are cooking in the microwave.

Receive a FREE all-day unlimited ride wristband to Nickelodeon Universe on your birthday. A parent or legal guardian must register for children under 13 years of age. Free admission valid for guests 18 years of age and younger.

Celebrate Baby’s 1st birthday with a FREE 7 inch cake decorated for your little one (serves 8-12)! Simply bring in your child’s birth certificate in person a few days before you’d like your cake (they won’t keep it…a copy is fine). The cake can be decorated with balloons, packages, baby booties or roses. Choose from white, marble or chocolate cake and white or chocolate frosting. They’ll even personalize your cake with a special message.

Natural Built Home was founded in October of 2005. Our mission was to create a one-stop shop for the safest and most sustainable building supplies. We initially provided these products to our customers on the world wide web through our e-commerce website. Our first brick and mortar showroom opened in Minneapolis on Earth Day in 2006. Since then we have continued to seek out the best green building products to bring to our customers. We want to thank all of our customers for making our first year a success. We look forward to helping you with your new projects in the near future!

In June, 2009 we were able to collect over 300 pair of jeans during our denim recycling drive. These jeans will be made into cotton insulation that will be used to insulate homes that have been damaged by hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. Your jeans will keep clothes out of landfills and build houses for families to live in! Thank you so much for making our denim recycling drive a success! Stay tuned for future recycling events.

Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear (both new and used). Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS, and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages.

For the shoes that they don't give to needy people they recycle them into mulch for playgrounds and such. 98.5% of the shoes they receive they can reuse and then they recycle 1.5% (as heard on the Ian and Margery show on August 7, 2009)

In a bowl, mix the yeast, sugar, and water, stirring to dissolve the yeast. Let is rest 5 minutes. Add the other ingredients. Knead the dough on a floured board, adding more flour until its not sticky. Place in a bowl and cover, letting it rise from 5 min - 2 hours, depending on the texture you would like. The longer you let it rise, the more bread-like the dough will become. Punch down the dough and shape into a large pizza crust.

Monday, August 3, 2009

I found myself in the middle of making cornbread and realized I didn't have an egg. I quick hopped on the internet and found a discussion board where a woman said to use 2 Tb. of cornstarch in place of an egg. I did so and my muffins turned out great! I added a touch of extra milk to make up for the missing liquid.

Spread salmon-flavored cream cheese onto a tortilla. Sprinkle with olives and red onions. Roll up the tortilla as tightly as you can. Slice sections (use a serrated knife for best results) about 1/2 inch thick. Lay them flat on a platter. They should look like pinwheels. For extra flavor (and cost), add crumbled smoked salmon and capers to the cream cheese)

Dissolve yeast in water and add milk. Add sugar and honey and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Knead for 5 minutes. Then let rise to double in size. Punch down, then knead again. Let rise once more to double in size. Shape into two loaves and let rise to double again. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Mix 1 cup of the flour with the sugar, salt, and dry yeast. In a seperate container, heat water and shortening to 120 degrees. Slowly add the flour mixture. Beat well for 2 minutes. Ad 1/2 cup more flour and heat again for 2 minutes. Stir in the rest of the flour. Knead for 5 minutes. Set in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubles in size. Punch down.

Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll each one into a long rope (18 - 20 i nches). Shape into pretzels or other shapes. Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rest for 5 minutes. MIx egg yolk and 1 T water. Brush on the pretzels and sprinkle with the salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes

Bring water and sugar to a slow boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat before it comes to a rolling boil (to keep crystals from forming). Add flavoring as it is cooling. Store in the refrigerator.

For thicker syrup replace half of the water with corn syrup. You may also add butter flavoring purchased from the store. Both of these items will increase the cost.

Combine flour, milk powder, baking powder, and salt in a very large bowl. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Store in tightly closed covered container in a cool place (cupboards are fine). Makes about 10 cups

To use for soup, combine 1/3 cup of the mix and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil while stirring often. Add a vegetable for more flavor or texture, such as diced celery, sliced mushrooms, or diced broccoli.

To use in any recipe calling for a can of cream of mushroom, chicken, or celery soup, add 1/3 cup of the mix to 1 1/4 cups of water. Boil for a few minutes, stirring often.

Put broth, peas, and spices in a blender and bled until fairly smooth. It will be a bit chunky. In a pan, melt butter and add flour to form a paste. Pour the blender contents into the pan and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and milk.

This is a recipe from Parents Magazine in April, 2009 that I would like to try:

In a medium bowl, melt 1 cup mini marshmallows and 1 Tbs. butter in the microwave on high for 45 seconds. Stir in 2 cups crispy rice cereal.

With buttered hands, spread mixture on was paper to 12" X 5 1/2 " rectangle. Place 8 pieces with dried pineapple, papaya, and apricot lengthwise along the middle of the sheet of cereal. Roll sheet lengthwise to enclose dried fruit; press to seal.

Wrap grape-flavored fruit leather around the roll; three .8 oz packages should be enough. Cut the suchi into 12 pieces and serve with chopsticks and a healthy drink.

This is a recipe I would like to try from Parents Magazine in April, 2009:

Spread 12 unbaked refrigerated breadsticks with 1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce. Roll each into a coil, curving one end under to make the head. Place snails upright onto a baking sheet, secure with a toothpick, and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden. To serve, poke holes for antennae and insert two carrot slivers. Refrigerate for up to 2 days; reheat at 350 degrees.

This is a recipe from the April, 2009 Parents magazine that I would love to try:

Line an 8 X 8 baking pan with foil, letting it extend over the edgesSpritz it with vegetable oil.In a large bowl, mix 1 cup low-fat granola, 1 cup folled oats, 1 cup finely copped apricots and cranberries, and 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour.In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup canola oil, and 1/3 tsp cinnamon.Stir into granola mixture, then pat batter in the panBake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until brownedWhen cool, use foil to lift from panCut into barsStore at room temperature for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months

(Makes 15)

Nutrition Info: 157 calories; 5 g fat

Here is a recipe from Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy

3 cups any granola

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup chopped peanuts and/or chocolate chips

2 eggs

Combine well and press into a greased 8 X 8 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, slice into bars after it cools.

This is a recipe from the December, 2008 issue of Parents magazine that I would love to try (picture is also from parents magazine): (this is under working moms dinner - but I think it is a weekend working moms dinner)

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Cut paper towel roll in half (I had to use a saw, although the website said a regular sharp knife would work....guess I have dull knives...) and take out the cardboard tube from the middle. Put it in a round tupperware.

Pour the mixture of water/shampoo/oil over the paper towel roll. Put the cover on the tupperware and turn it upside down for 30 minutes.